Regulated deficit irrigation effects on physiological parameters, yield, fruit quality and antioxidants of Vaccinium corymbosum plants cv. Brigitta

Regulated deficit irrigation effects on physiological parameters, yield, fruit quality and antioxidants of Vaccinium corymbosum plants cv. Brigitta

Highbush blueberries require sufficient water throughout the growing season, especially during fruit development. Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) has been used in many fruit crops to save water and potentially increase fruit quality without reducing yield. Our aim was to determine the effects of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Irrigation science Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 49 - 60
Main Authors: Lobos, Tomás E., Retamales, Jorge B., Ortega-Farías, Samuel, Hanson, Eric J., López-Olivari, Rafael, Mora, María L.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2018
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Acidity
Agriculture
Antioxidants
Aquatic Pollution
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Blueberries
Capacity
Climate Change
Crop yield
Environment
Evapotranspiration
Firmness
Food quality
Fruit crops
Fruits
Growing season
Irrigation
Irrigation effects
Life Sciences
Original Paper
Oxidative stress
Photosynthesis
Physiological effects
Plants (botany)
Seasons
Sustainable Development
Waste Water Technology
Water deficit
Water Industry/Water Technologies
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water relations
Water stress
Weight
Water management
Plant growth
Abiotic stress
Water stress
Blueberry
Plant performance
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Summary:Highbush blueberries require sufficient water throughout the growing season, especially during fruit development. Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) has been used in many fruit crops to save water and potentially increase fruit quality without reducing yield. Our aim was to determine the effects of RDI on yield, plant–water relations, and fruit quality at harvest. Three irrigation treatments based on actual evapotranspiration (ETa) were applied: 50, 75 and 100% (control) to six-year-old ‘Brigitta’ highbush blueberries in Colbún, Maule Region, Chile, for seasons 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 and to 26-year-old ‘Brigitta’ plants in South Haven, Michigan, USA, during the 2014 season. Severe water deficit treatment (50% ETa) decreased photosynthetic rate, vegetative growth (second season in Colbún and South Haven’s trial), and fruit quality (berry size, titratable acidity, soluble solids, weight), and increased oxidative stress during both seasons in Colbún. The 50% ETa treatment also had the highest yield reduction during Colbún’s second season. In contrast, mild water stress (75% ETa) resulted in similar fruit yields and quality (firmness, fruit size, titratable acidity, soluble solids and berry weight) but with higher water productivity than the 100% ETa treatment, while it achieved intermediate values for antioxidant capacity compared to the 50% ETa treatment.
ISSN:0342-7188
1432-1319
DOI:10.1007/s00271-017-0564-6